Tours and attractions

Where do you go from here?

Take a hike, or a tour or a class. With 2,250 acres to explore on our Fairbanks campus, there’s always something going on. So find an activity that suits you. The highlights below are a good place to start, and you’ll find lots of other events on our calendar.

Tours subject to change. Call ahead to confirm dates and times. All tours free except where otherwise indicated.

ºÚÁϺÚÀúÊ· walking tour for prospective students
ºÚÁϺÚÀúÊ· walking tour

Get to know ºÚÁϺÚÀúÊ· on student-led, 90-minute tours. Call or text 907-474-7500 to request a tour. For a self-guided tour, search . A is also available.

Wildfire Walk trail
ºÚÁϺÚÀúÊ· interpretive trails

ºÚÁϺÚÀúÊ· boasts several self-guided interpretive trails.

Learn about Alaska wildfire, research and management on the Wildfire Walk. Start at the ºÚÁϺÚÀúÊ· Large Animal Research Station parking lot.

  • Duration: 40 minutes
  • Web:

On the ºÚÁϺÚÀúÊ· Planet Walk, journey through scaled representations of each celestial body, from Mercury to Neptune. Start at the west end of Yukon Drive.

  • Length: Less than 1 mile
  • Web:

Morris Thompson Visitors' Center
Science for Alaska Summer Series

Learn about Mt. Spurr volcano, Alaska wildfire monitoring, earthquakes and aurora. ºÚÁϺÚÀúÊ· Geophysical Institute experts partner with Explore Fairbanks to share science stories and answer your questions about natural phenomena in Alaska.

  • Second Saturday of the month: June 14, July 12, Aug. 9 and Sept. 13
  • Web:

Elvey Building
Geophysical Institute

Learn about our giant satellite dishes and how world-class researchers study everything from the center of the Earth to the surface of the sun.

  • Guided tours: Memorial Day through Labor Day, Wednesdays, 1 p.m., Elvey Building
  • Self-guided indoor or outdoor tours: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
  • Web:

Visitors seated on the lawn for a concert at the Georgeson Botanical Garden
Georgeson Botanical Garden

Explore over 8 acres of plant displays and demonstration gardens. Don’t miss the popular children’s garden, boasting one of the largest hedge mazes in the country. Donation requested.

UA Museum of the North

Discover millions of years of biodiversity and thousands of years of cultural traditions at one of Alaska’s premier visitor attractions. Admission fee.

  • May-15-Sept. 15, daily, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
  • Sept. 16-May 14, daily, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
  • Phone: 907-474-7505
  • Web: UA Museum of the North

Aurora over the Poker Flat Research Range
Poker Flat Research Range

Tour the largest land-based rocket range in the world and the only high-latitude range in the U.S. Tours start at the Range Administration Center and last about two hours. The gate at Mile 30 Steese Highway opens about 1:30 p.m.

  • 2 p.m., alternate Thursdays: May 1, 15, 29; June 12, 26; July 10, 24; Aug. 7, 21; Sept. 4
  • Web:

International Arctic Research Center

Explore our lobby for a glimpse of climate change research, and see our giant display of warming Arctic temperatures on the fourth floor.

  • Weekdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. except major holidays
  • Phone: 907-474-5724
  • Web:

Reindeer at the Large Animal Research Station
Robert G. White Large Animal Research Station

Get up close and personal with reindeer and muskoxen, survivors from the ice age. Gift shop on site with items by Alaska artists. Admission fee.

Collage of Summer Sessions activites
Summer Sessions & Lifelong Learning

Summer Sessions and Lifelong Learning offers courses and hosts many events throughout the summer, including special guest lectures and concerts.